


Gone

by lesbianpapyrus



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 14:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15221159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianpapyrus/pseuds/lesbianpapyrus
Summary: The day started fairly normally.By midnight, she was gone.





	Gone

 

Rays of sunlight streamed through the window across Valka’s eyes.

She awoke and blinked slowly, temporarily blinded. Sitting up till she was out of the sun, she closed her eyes again and dozed until she became aware of a funny gurgling noise.

Smiling, she got up and walked over to a cradle in the corner next to her. “Good morning, Hiccup!” she cooed. “How’s my sweet boy?”

The boy in question had his left foot in his mouth and was drooling all over it. Upon seeing his mother, he let go and gurgled happily, clapping his tiny hands.

After wiping off his toes, Valka kissed and tickled them, making him squeal with high-pitched laughter. “Ye’re in a good mood today, aren’t ye? Well, that’s good, because we’re going out to see Daddy in the village today, if he’s not too busy!” she said.

She was a bit nervous about that. For six and a half months, Hiccup had never been out of the house. Even lying in his cradle all day, he had the tendency to get sick. Just two weeks ago he had developed an odd cough lasting for almost ten days. Though it had subsided by now, it made his mother antsy. The last thing Valka wanted was the Chief’s son dying from an illness picked up in the village.

“Well, I suppose ye’ll be alright as long as ye don’t touch anything and only I and a few others hold ye,” she reassured, more to herself than to the baby.

She was startled by a loud whine for attention from Hiccup. “Oh, ye must be hungry. Come on, then, let’s go eat.” She picked him up tenderly, stroking his red hair.

After she fed him, she stuck her head outside to check the weather; it was oddly sunny for this time of year, but still a little chilly. Valka dressed Hiccup accordingly in a fur swaddling cloth.

Once she had made herself presentable, she picked him up again. “Ready to go?” Hiccup screeched in response. “All right, all right, we’re going! No need to be impatient,” she laughed.

She watched him carefully as she moved out the front door and he got his first glimpse of the outside world.

His eyes grew wide as green grass and blue sky replaced the boring brown wood ceiling and floors of his house. His attention was then diverted to the unfamiliar people ambling about in the main part of the village. He looked back at his mother, confused; weren’t his mother and father and uncles and that strange old lady who came around a lot the only people around?

Valka smiled at his bewilderment and continued down the walkway to the town square. Then she stopped as she realized that she had no idea what Stoick was doing today. Maybe at the blacksmith helping to fill orders for new weapons? Fixing the sheep pen again at Silent Sven’s? Overseeing the christenings of new babies? That reminded her, they had yet to officially christen Hiccup. They should probably do that soon…

Valka shook her head. _Just find Stoick. Work out details later._

As it turned out, he was in the blacksmith’s shop, talking to Gobber about forging a new type of mace he’d heard about at the most recent meeting of the Viking chiefs. She knocked quietly on the counter, and Stoick’s sharp ears picked up the noise almost immediately.

“Val! Ye came down. And…and ye brought Hiccup?”

“He wanted to come visit.” She smiled. “He’s been very excited—”

“Not as excited as me!” Gobber butted in enthusiastically. “Cummere, give Uncle Gobber a cuddle…” He tried to take the child, but upon seeing the man’s greasy, soot-covered, filthy hands, Valka hugged Hiccup to her chest, the corner of her lip twitching uncertainly.

He glanced down. “Oh, right. Probably should go wash up…” He ambled off to the back room where he had a basin of water set out.

Stoick’s hands were clean, however, and he gently took his small son into his arms. “So how do ye like the outside world, Hiccup?” he asked kindly.

Hiccup only made some happy gurgling noises noises.

“Hahaha, I like it, too. I imagine it’s a big change for ye, isn’t it?”

“Can I ‘ave tha’ cuddle now?” Gobber came out of the back room.

After a quick inspection of his hands, Valka nodded. “Careful with that hammer!”

“’E’ll be fine, Val, don’t worry!” Gobber said dismissively. As he took and began to talk to the baby, Stoick turned to his wife.

“How was he this morning?”

“Awake before I was. He must’ve been hungry, he was chewing on his foot when I said good morning.”

Stoick laughed. “Silly boy.” He looked up. “Ye know, there isn’t much going on today. Maybe ye two could come along. The people are looking forward to meeting him, I’ve been warding off villagers for almost two weeks now.”

Valka received Hiccup back into her arms. “I don’t know, Stoick,” she said slowly. “I don’t want anyone to touch him except for ye and me, and undoubtedly many of the villagers will want to hold him. He becomes ill too easily. I was just going to take him home after we saw ye; it’s the safest place for him.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine, Val. If he could make it through his first few weeks, he could make it through anything. I did tell ye he would be the strongest of them all.” Stoick’s eyes twinkled.

Valka gave a half-hearted grin. “Oh…I suppose. But no one touches him except me.”

“Fair enough. First we need to stop by the Ingermans’ and see ‘ow the repairs on their house are goin’.”

The repairs were going well. Inga Ingerman, though quite pregnant with her own child, insisted upon having the Haddocks wait while she baked a few of her famous crab cakes. “Valka, dear,” she said, “D’ye have any advice for me? How long should we wait before we take the babe outside the house to be officially named? You certainly waited a long time to bring Hiccup out…”

“He gets sick quite easily,” Valka replied quickly. “We thought it best to keep him inside until he was about half a year. Home is really the safest place for him.”

After the crab cakes, the Haddocks thanked the Ingermans and made their way to the town square to cut across to the other side of the village. As Valka feared, most of the Vikings rushed over and ogled at the tiny baby, clamoring compliments and questions and demands to hold him. Fortunately Stoick was able to order them off back to their business.

“I want to take him home,” Valka spoke up as soon as they were gone. “All those people, what if he’s picked something up? I knew it, I _knew_ home was the only safe place for him…” She started out in the direction of their home. Her husband followed.

“Val, Val, calm down.” Stoick rubbed her back. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Home is hardly safer for him than out here; he still got sick all the time anyway, and no Viking is safe no matter where he is when there are dragons about.”

She huffed, moved Hiccup to her other side away from her husband, and walked faster.

Stoick mentally slapped himself. “Though I’m sure ye’re right, home is still much safer than out here,” he amended awkwardly.

“Well, if ye just _tried_ to be peaceful, the dragons would likely leave,” Valka argued. “Then we would _all_ be safe.”

The Chief sighed. This again? “Tha’s not an option, Val. Ye know they’ll attack unprovoked.”

“Unprovoked, my…foot. There must be a reason for them to attack. There always is.”

Stoick shook his head. There was no talking her out of her ways.

They walked in silence to the storehouses to take inventory of supplies. “I still want Hiccup home after this. He’s becoming restless anyways.”

Hiccup had become fussy after all the villagers had swarmed about him. First he wanted his arms free from the swaddling cloth, then he wanted to be put down in his cradle, which of course was nowhere to be found. Now he refused to stop moving about in his mother’s arms, whining to have a nap.

“Of course, of course,” Stoick murmured, not really paying attention. Valka picked that up immediately and rolled her eyes.

He accompanied her back to the house. “See ye at the hall for supper tonight?” He smiled hopefully.

Valka gave a single nod and closed the door.

Stoick sighed sadly and walked off to his next job. Perhaps his wife would come to her senses later.

††

Valka slowly slid to the floor, shifting Hiccup into her lap. She closed her eyes and leaned against the door. Why did Stoick have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t he understand that there was a better way?

A loud angry cry from her son woke he from her reverie. “Shh, Hiccup, shh,” she quieted. “Mother’s here, ye’re safe at home, we’re going to sleep soon…” She rocked him back and forth.

The baby calmed a little and caught one of her braids in his chubby hands. He stared at it and put the end of it in his mouth. His mother laughed and pulled it back out. “That’s not for eating, silly little boy.”

She stood to dress Hiccup in more comfortable furs and placed him in the cradle in the front room. He yawned contentedly and was asleep within a few minutes.

Valka watched him for a while, then sighed and ran her fingers through his fluffy red hair before beginning some housework. She couldn’t stop glancing back at him. _He’s fine,_ she attempted to reassure herself. _He’s home. He’s safe._

††

Late that night, the raids began.

All the Vikings raced out to protect the village but one: Valka raced out to protect the dragons.

In the middle of the frenzy, she saw Hoark the Haggard bring down a Nightmare and prepare to chop off its head. She lunged forward and grabbed hold of the axe. “Stop! Ye’ll only make it worse!” she cried.

Hoark could only wrench his axe back and shake his head as the Nightmare got up and flew away.

Valka barely noticed. She’d saved one dragon; now for the rest of them.

Then the sound of crackling flames, splintering wood, and a baby’s cry reached her ears.

She’d recognize that cry anywhere.

_“Hiccup!”_

Horror froze her in her tracks as a Stormcutter ripped through the roof of her house and crawled inside. All thoughts of saving the dragons flew out of her mind. Home was no longer safe; her baby was in danger!

She burst into the house, picked up a sword, prepared to use it at any cost.

What she found astounded her.

The Stormcutter leaned over Hiccup’s cradle, a single claw extended toward the babe. Instead of being frightened, Hiccup smiled, reached up to grab hold of the claw, bringing it closer to his face, almost touching him.

The sword dropped from Valka’s nerveless fingers.

The dragon heard the noise and turned swiftly, grazing Hiccup’s chin with the claw. The child began to cry as the pain registered and blood gathered on the cut.

But Valka could not get to him. The Stormcutter advanced menacingly toward her, soulless eyes burning into her own.

No, not soulless.

As she stared back, unable to look away, she could sense intelligence in the beast. And gentleness. Perhaps even… _love._

And the beast sensed the same in her.

Valka could almost touch it…

And then the moment ended.

An axe thudded between the dragon’s face and the woman’s.

_“Valka!”_

Stoick had burst down the door to protect his wife and child. He scooped up their baby from his cradle and drew his sword.

“No, Stoick, he won’t hurt you…!” Valka yelled.

Stoick and the Stormcutter lunged simultaneously. The dragon reached Valka first. Taking her in its talons, it stretched four massive wings and ascended out of the ruined house.

Stoick slashed with the sword and missed.

“Stoick!” Valka cried distantly.

“VALKA!” Stoick rushed out of the house, still holding Hiccup.

_“Stoick!”_ Now her voice was even farther away.

Hiccup cried. He cried for the cut on his chin, cried for the loudness of the battle, cried for his mother, who could just barely be seen through the smoke.

And then she was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> another old httyd fic. written before I graduated high school. not so happy this time, unfortunately.
> 
> hope it was an interesting read anyway.


End file.
